the trout fishing haven that is Dullstroom, is
the edge of the escarpment that marks the
beginning of the Highveld. This area is home to
a number of the country’s finest conditioned
and best designed golf courses.
Gauteng alone has over 70 golf courses and
this, the smallest province in South Africa, is
bordered by Mpumalanga and three further
provinces in the form of the Northwest (home
to Pecanwood the first Jack Nicklaus signature
golf course in Africa) , Limpopo and the Free
State.
To the East and down some 3 000 feet though
the Midlands region (another trout fishing
Mecca), and its famous Zulu and Boer War
battlefields, lies the seaboard of the Indian
Ocean.
Here the challenges for the golfer are not likely
to be four legged, but will come more in the
form of the elemental winds that can sweep in
from the sea.
And this will not necessarily be the usual, and
hoped for, sea-side zephyr to cool a fevered
brow after taking a double bogey 6 on the
easiest hole on the course!
Golfers will feel like they are facing a wall of
wind which can quickly render a golf course like
the Wild Coast, safe only if you are a knobkerrie
wielding baboon and which can turn even the
gentlest, most accommodating hole into a
demon of a challenge.
Following the coastline in a south westerly
direction will take the golf traveller past the
Transkei (the Wild Coast – very aptly named by
generations of mariners) through the Sunshine
Coast to the start of the iconic Garden Route.
The ‘weather’ and especially the wind is a
perennial challenge for golfers – where would
the Open Championship be without a ‘wee bit
of breeze’, but seeing a scorecard (and your
nerves) literally shredded by the Cape Doctor
can be a chastening experience.
Happily these extremes will be the exception in
a trip where the challenges will mostly be trying
to cope with the persistent sunshine, wondering
whether a shot into the cooling shade of the
trees
might not be such a bad thing, and dealing
with the inevitable ‘ennui’ brought on by
the presence of blue skies which just go on
relentlessly – day after interminable day!
In this series ‘Letters from Africa’, we shall take
a closer look at the various areas that make up
the Southern Africa region a whole.
The exploration will include looking at what
makes each area unique, its history, attractions
and highlights, both on and off the golf course.
By John Cockayne
Destination Golf - Southern
Africa & Indian Ocean Islands
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +27 73 8967931
Volume 4 • Issue 49
57